Containers and container closures are manufactured with a variety of standard sizes, but may also be manufactured with custom sizes. The sizes are based on certain measurements of the container finish (100). Referring now to FIGS. 1-14, a container finish (100) and closure (300) are shown. The finish (100) has finish threads (110) on its outer wall. A finish (100) has an inside diameter, referred to as the “I” dimension, an outside finish diameter at the base of the threads, referred to as the finish “E” dimension, and an outside finish thread diameter, referred to as the finish “T” dimension. The dimensional terminology is reversed for the closure (300) with an inside closure diameter, referred to as the closure “T” dimension, and an inner thread diameter, referred to as the closure “E” dimension, as seen in FIG. 7. The closure (300) must mate with the finish (100) properly in order to provide a seal. A number of different types of seals between finishes (100) and closures (300) are available including, but not limited to, plug seals, land seals using a bead, and land seals using an edge of material. Plug seals and land seals using a bead require proper alignment between the finish (100) and the closure (300). This proper alignment is achieved by controlling the “E” and “T” dimensions of the finish (100) and the closure (300). The T and E of a closure will be slightly larger than the corresponding T and E of the neck finish, usually by about 0.010-0.020″ for clearance.
It can be seen in the prior art that the most common type of finish and closure system is one where the closure may be freely put on, and taken off, the finish. Certain applications, however, perhaps those involving situations where the contents of a container might be unusually dangerous, or where a manufacturer seeks to deter the refilling of containers, require a system wherein the closure can be freely applied to the finish, so as to facilitate prior filling, but where, once applied, the closure cannot be removed from the finish without considerable effort, usually resulting in damage to, or destruction of, the container. One skilled in the art will realize that “non-removable” is only a relative term, and is only meant to indicate a finish and closure system in which it is more difficult than usual to remove a closure from a finish that normal, and often, but not necessarily, such removal will result in damage to one or both structures. Such non-damaging removal methods shall be referred to herein as “conventional” or “ordinary” removal methods.
A common design for such removal resistant containers is to employ some sort of interlocking ratchet system, such as that seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,299. Ratcheted areas or ratcheted rings are commonly placed above the threaded portion of a closure and finish system, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 9,205,946; or below the threaded portion of a closure and finish system, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,127.
One skilled in the art will see that such above or below arrangements lead to a necessary increase in the overall height of the finish and closure system, which for various reasons, a designer may wish to avoid.
Another solution is that where teeth of the thread of a closure or finish may dig in to the thread flank of a corresponding finish or closure, such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,033. One skilled in the art will immediately see the drawbacks of such a system. Instead of a positive stop effect such as that produced by a ratcheted system, the system of the '033 device relies on the frictional hold between the teeth and the thread flank, an uncertain method of ensuring non-removability, at best.
The present invention, in several embodiments, is directed toward the solution of these, and other problems. Additionally, in a novel feature of many of the embodiments of the present invention, the ratcheted finish may be used with a standard, i.e., non-ratcheted closure. This would allow a manufacturer to produce both openable and non-openable containers using the same finish design, by simply changing the closure type.